Seven Quick Takes: Baby Animals, a Movie Review, Latin Coupon, and More!

:: 1 ::

I just ordered this book:

 

 

:: 2 ::

Because this:

Yes. That’s right. I gave my husband a puppy.

So here’s the deal. When he was a child, my husband always wanted a dog, but he was never allowed to have one. So as the years have gone by, and we’ve had various animals, my husband has mentioned off and on that he’d like to have a dog “someday.” I wasn’t really into getting a dog because I know how much trouble they are if you are going to train them right, and I am sort of busy, as you might guess.

But one day, my husband was going on and on about he never had a dog and I realized this wasn’t a passing thing. This was a Thing. He really wanted a dog. So when my friend {Hi, Michele!} showed me puppy photos at our last CM group meeting, and told me she was giving them away for free, and I saw that they were black and white, exactly like my husband dreamed of, I just knew that this was the dog for him.

So I said I’d take one. I was going to give it to him for our anniversary {which is in May}, but the children got a little upset about not being involved that way, so we decided to tell him this was a super-early Father’s Day gift.

And you know what?

I totally just won Wife of the Year.

Giving him that puppy was amazing. I couldn’t believe how happy he looked. It was great.

So now, in addition to two rabbits, a desert tortoise, and a varying number of goats {as of right now, we have three adults and one baby }, we have a dog.

 

:: 3 ::

The day after I gave him the puppy, kidding season started. If I were smarter, I wouldn’t have planned to be doing puppy training all night while also getting up early with a new mama goat. I don’t usually drink coffee, but I had two cups on Tuesday in order to get through it all.

It’s a girl! Isn’t she lovely?

Her name is Snowdrop.

 

 

:: 4 ::

Here’s this week link collection:

• The Teacher Who Believes Math Equals Love from NPR.
  • This lady sounds awesome!
• Thinking Christianly About the Liberal Arts from The Imaginative Conservative.
  • The must-read article for this week!
• Declaration of Dependence by Renee Mathis.
  • I loved this.
• The Cost of Relativism by David Brooks.
  • Without norms, nobility is impossible.

 

:: 5 ::

Are any of you in the market for Visual Latin? If so, I’ve got a coupon code for you. You can get 30% off Visual Latin this weekend only — March 13-15, 2015. Just use this code: IDES30.

We love Visual Latin, as you know. Right now, we use it in combination with Henle.

 

:: 6 ::

This past weekend, we watched the movie Belle. Oh my goodness. I wasn’t sure what to expect with it, but I really, really liked it. In fact, I highly recommend it.

Whenever I watch movies like this, I am just fascinated with the politics of marriage in England. I doubt it is still like this, at least to this extreme, but this idea of marrying “above” you or “beneath” you is interesting. I mean, here we do talk about marrying to a good match, but this is a totally different animal.

 

:: 7 ::

Answering your questions…

• Question: Can six six-week terms work out well for year-round study?
  • Answer: I did the math and yes, yes they can. This is basically what I do, though I wouldn’t call it year-round study because we definitely have a long summer break. But still, I do six weeks on and one week off most of the year. AmblesideOnline is divided into three 12-week terms, so it’s very similar. I just divide the 12 weeks into halves and ta-da! Six six-week terms! 🙂
• Question: How do you get outside time in with all the mothering, and naps, and chores, and dinner prep that has to be done?
  • Answer: I’m assuming you mean me, personally? If so, I will be honest and say this is one reason I like having goats. Otherwise, I would hardly ever go outside. Having to milk them twice a day forces me outside twice per day, and sometimes I even find reason to stay longer than the amount of time required for me to do my chores. Another method of mine has been to try and do our lessons outside once per week during fine weather. We try to do nature study regularly as well. I’d like to say weekly, but it ends up being more like every other week in reality. My children do spend quite a bit of time outside playing or doing chores or working in their garden. I’m not with them during that time, but it does add up to a number of hours each day.
• Question: For Art, should I be teaching something or just let him draw whatever he wants?
  • Answer: I don’t know the “right” answer, but I can tell you that we have done different things along the way. Sometimes, I’ve just let them draw what they wish, yes. I think there is a time and place for that. Earlier this year, a wonderful woman from our church offered a six-week drawing class at her home, and my two older children attended that and learned a lot. Sometimes, I give them books with good instructions and have them pick something to draw and come show it to me, while telling them I’m available if they have any questions or want help. A great example is the Draw Write Now books. My children have taught themselves to draw a number of things using those books, and their skills have spilled over into other areas. Right now, I’m studying Art for Kids Drawing and going to start giving a lesson from it now and then during Enrichment Fridays.